Eggs in the fridge, expired meds, loud sneezes, and more (Mailbag)

Summary

NO SUCH THING – “Eggs in the fridge, expired meds, loud sneezes, and more (Mailbag)”
Date: April 8, 2026
Hosts: Manny, Noah, and Devin

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Episode Overview

In this mailbag episode of "NO SUCH THING," the trio—Manny, Noah, and Devin—dive into listener-submitted questions to resolve divisive, curious, and sometimes hilarious household and pop culture debates. The topics: whether eggs belong in the fridge, why medicines expire, why sneezes are loud (and come in multiples), how a 24-hour day came to be, and the definitive answer to the eternal PB&J jelly flavor debate. The team consults experts, dig into history, and reference scientific literature, all while maintaining their signature banter and humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Should Eggs Be Kept in the Fridge?

[01:49–10:59]

• Listener Franz from London asks whether eggs must be kept refrigerated and if it affects their nutritional value.
• The hosts share personal habits: all keep eggs in the fridge, but have different approaches for other items (ketchup, potatoes, butter).
• Manny references his wife Mia, a health/science editor and Brit, for an expert answer.
• Expert Input ([06:14]):
  • In the US, eggs are washed and refrigerated before sale, removing the protective cuticle.
  • US eggs must be refrigerated to prevent salmonella.
  • In Europe/UK, eggs are not washed; they retain their natural cuticle and can safely be kept at room temperature.
  • European eggs are consumed fresher; best-by dates are shorter.
  • Quote:
    • "If you're in the US, you have no option. You need to keep them in the fridge. In Europe, it's up to you." – [06:14]
• Key takeaway: Where you live determines how you must store eggs.

Notable Moment:

• The hosts' realization that the difference is due to the washing/removal of the "cuticle," not the eggs themselves.
  "I didn't realize it was literally just what was on the outside of the shell. I assumed it was something more like biological almost." – Noah [08:21]

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2. Medicine Expiration Dates

[11:00–19:21]

• Steph asks about the reasoning behind expiration dates on pills and medicine.
• Initial guess: Medicines don't "go bad" like food, but just lose potency.
• Personal anecdotes: The hosts share stories about ancient meds at parents' homes, barely-used giant bottles, etc.
• Research ([15:21]):
  • US Air Force & FDA studies showed most medicines are still effective up to three years past their expiration.
  • Exceptions: Liquid antibiotics, aspirin, nitroglycerin, insulin, and EpiPens become less effective and are best used before expiration.
  • For most over-the-counter meds, taking them a bit past the expiration is safe but may be less effective.
  • Expiration dates are conservative, set for guaranteed full potency and regulatory compliance, not absolute safety or efficacy cutoffs.
  • Storing meds in a cool place (fridge) conserves potency.
  • Quote:
    • "Much of the original potency still remains even a decade after the expiration date." – Noah [18:20]
• Advice: Rx/critical meds: don't risk it; OTCs: less concern.

Notable Moment:

• Manny questions the "Maximum Strength" vs. "Ultimate Strength" branding on Gas X.
  "Why is one of the boxes called Maximum Strength and the stronger one is called Ultimate Strength? Actually, we already passed Max, so I don't know what I'm doing here." – Manny [12:57]

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3. The Loud Sneeze Mystery

[22:08–31:01]

• A listener wonders why people sneeze so loudly, if it's behavioral or biological, and why people sneeze more than once.
• The hosts share their own sneeze styles and stories about loud-sneezing parents.
• Research (Popular Science, Dr. Takashima, Houston Methodist):
  • Sneeze volume is determined by the structure of vocal cords, soft tissue in the throat, and lung capacity.
  • Lung size does not alone predict sneeze volume.
  • Culture matters: in Japan, social norms encourage quiet sneezing; it's possible to minimize sneeze volume by closing your mouth, but suppression can be physically uncomfortable or risky.
  • Quote:
    • "It's that gush of air that's pushing through the vocal cords that creates the sound of the sneeze. The shape and floppiness of our vocal cords and other soft tissue at the back of the throat influence whether or not we have a quiet or booming sneeze." – Dr. Takashima (as read by Noah) [26:42]
• Bonus: Why multiple sneezes?
  • If the first sneeze doesn’t clear out the irritant, the body tries again ("your first sneeze didn't do its job").
  • Some people have a photic sneeze reflex—bright lights trigger sneezing in 18-20% of people.
  • Quote:
    • "A second sneeze means that your first sneeze didn't do its job." – Noah [29:30]

Notable Moments:

• The group reflects that behavioral factors (not wanting to be a "dad sneezer") may lead to quieter sneezes—a generational sneeze arms race!

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4. Why Are There 24 Hours in a Day?

[31:04–38:03]

• Blake asks: "Why are there 24 hours in a day?"
• The hosts riff, then look up history (ABC Science/Dr. Nick Lomb, Sydney Observatory):
  • Ancient Egyptians divided daytime into 10 hours using shadow clocks, then added two twilight hours (one at each end).
  • Nighttime was divided into 12 hours, based on observations of stars (star groups called "decans").
  • Babylonians further divided hours into 60 minutes, favoring the base-60 system (sexagesimal), also giving us 360 degrees in a circle.
  • System later standardized for practicality, surviving to modern times.
  • Quote:
    • "Our 24 hour day comes from the ancient Egyptians..." – Noah [33:23]
• Cultural tangent: the hosts lament the lack of credit for Egyptian ingenuity in Western narratives.

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5. The True Jelly for PB&J

[41:38–48:28]

• Kaylee's dilemma: Is grape or strawberry the "default" for a peanut butter & jelly sandwich?
• The hosts' consensus: Strawberry might be preferred by some, but grape is culturally and historically the American default.
• Deep-dive into PB&J history (National Peanut Board):
  • 1917: Paul Welch patents grape jelly (Grape-lade).
  • Grape jelly was popular with WWI and WWII troops; PB&J's rise is deeply connected to Welch's grape jelly.
  • Commercial, shelf-stable peanut butter after the Depression & WWII made PB&J the household classic.
  • Wikipedia reference checks: "Strawberry" not even mentioned on the PB&J page as the mainstay jelly.
  • Quote:
    • "I prefer the jelly to be strawberry, but I also acknowledge that grape is the traditional peanut butter and jelly." – Manny [42:56]
    • "If you ever hear someone saying strawberry is the default, you have to tell them that there's absolutely zero evidence to back that up." – Manny [47:19]

Notable Moment:

• The hosts imagine cartoon sandwiches and reference “Welch’s grape” and “cartoon purple” as the iconic representation.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:49] – Eggs: Fridge or Counter?
• [06:14] – Expert Explanation: Egg Washing & Storage
• [11:00] – Why Do Medicines Expire?
• [15:21] – Harvard/FDA Study on Medication Potency
• [22:08] – Loud Sneezes: Nature vs. Nurture
• [26:42] – Anatomy of a Sneeze: Dr. Takashima
• [29:04] – Multiple Sneezes & Photic Sneeze Reflex
• [31:04] – Why 24 Hours in a Day?
• [33:23] – Origin: Ancient Egyptian Timekeeping
• [41:38] – PB&J Default Jelly Debate
• [46:10] – Grape Jelly’s Origin Story (Welch’s)
• [48:11] – Categorical Wikipedia Victory for Grape

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Memorable Quotes

• "If you're in the US, you have no option. You need to keep them in the fridge. In Europe, it's up to you." – [Medical Expert, 06:14]
• "Much of the original potency still remains even a decade after the expiration date." – Noah [18:20]
• "Why is one of the boxes called Maximum Strength and the stronger one is called Ultimate Strength? Actually, we already passed Max, so I don't know what I'm doing here." – Manny [12:57]
• "It's that gush of air that's pushing through the vocal cords that creates the sound of the sneeze." – Dr. Takashima [26:42]
• "A second sneeze means your first sneeze didn't do its job." – Noah [29:30]
• "Our 24 hour day comes from the ancient Egyptians..." – Noah [33:23]
• "You have to tell them that there's absolutely zero evidence to back that up." (On strawberry as default jelly) – Manny [47:19]

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Tone & Language

The episode is packed with the hosts’ casual banter, relatable anecdotes, and witty asides. They consult experts and scientific references while maintaining a fun, accessible, and occasionally irreverent tone that makes dense information lively and memorable.

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Summary

This episode of NO SUCH THING exemplifies the show's mission: resolving quirky debates with real research and expertise, plus a lot of hearty laughs. Whether it’s about the microbiology of eggshells, the bureaucratic logic of expiration dates, the genetics of sneezing, the history of timekeeping, or the sociocultural dominance of grape jelly, the trio delivers answers that are equal parts educational and entertaining.

For anyone who’s ever argued over kitchen protocol or playground lunch standards, this is the explainer episode for you.

Transcript

[Manny]

I'm Manny.

[Noah]

I'm Noah.

[Devin]

This is Devin.

[Manny]

And this is no Such Thing. The show where we settle our dumb arguments and yours by actually doing the research. Today's episode is another mailbag episode. We're going to be talking about eggs, sneezes, medicine, the 24 hour day, and whether grape or strawber is the traditional jelly in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There's no. No such thing. No such thing. No such thing. No such thing. No such thing.

[Serving Pancakes Host]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

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[Michael Easter]

2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter, and On my podcast 2%, I break down the signs of mental toughness, physical fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.

[Motivational Speaker]

Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

[Michael Easter]

Listen to 2%. That's 2% on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Noah]

All right, we're starting with a question from Franz, who is based in London. She says. Just had a somewhat heated debate last night with my flatmates about whether eggs should be kept in our fridge or not. Our fridge is small and we only have one shelf each, so all three of us having our own carton of eggs takes up a lot of space. I personally have always grown up with my family keeping eggs in the fridge, but one of my flatmates keeps hers out on the counter and said we should too. Do they last longer if kept in the fridge or does it remove any nutritional value? So before we get into Fran, what do you guys do with regard to eggs?

[Devin]

Oh, you gotta put your eggs in the fridge. Yeah, what the hell?

[Manny]

I think I put a lot of stuff in the fridge that maybe doesn't necessarily need to be in the fridge,

[Devin]

but eggs just be like leaving your milk out here.

[Noah]

Yeah. I do think there's a US UK divide.

[Manny]

Perhaps in my head it's just like, yep, it's gonna make it last a little bit longer. Yeah, because it's colder in there.

[Noah]

What do you leave out of the fridge that could be refrigerated, do you think?

[Devin]

I don't put, like, Potatoes and stuff like that in the fridge.

[Manny]

Oh, interesting.

[Devin]

I'm a big no ketchup in the fridge guy ever.

[Manny]

Now. That's.

[Devin]

No, I don't like my ketchup cold. I want my ketchup.

[Noah]

So you just have open ketchup?

[Devin]

Huh?

[Noah]

You just have open ketchup in your cabinet?

[Devin]

It's not. Yeah, it's opened. As in I used it before and then I closed it back.

[Noah]

Yeah. It's open, though.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Manny]

Yeah.

[Noah]

It's not sealed. That's what I mean. It's. It's open. It's unsealed.

[Devin]

It doesn't need to be refrigerated.

[Noah]

Does it say that?

[Devin]

Yes. Because, look, we're getting confused here between there's things that need to be refrigerated and there's things that they recommend.

[Noah]

That's what we're discussing.

[Devin]

There's things that. There's things that they recommend. You should refrigerate. Yeah, Ketchup is one of those things that they're like, actually, it'll be better if you refrigerate it, you know?

[Noah]

Refrigerate.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Manny]

Well, how quickly are you going through ketchup?

[Devin]

Yeah, I got a big one from Costco, so it takes me a while. So I'm only really using it on, like, if I get a. If I make burgers or something like that, or hot dogs.

[Manny]

So it will last a long while.

[Devin]

I've had that ketchup. Look, this is not the first time in my life that I've done it. I actually just opened a new huge thing of it, so.

[Manny]

But by the time you're getting to the bottom, you don't notice anything?

[Devin]

No, that's what I'm saying. I've been through this in my life, okay? I'm living that life. I'm not just recommending it and not doing it.

[Noah]

I've got you open it.

[Manny]

Bread in the fridge. All vegetables, including potatoes. Butter in the fridge.

[Devin]

You put your. You put your potatoes in the fridge?

[Manny]

Yeah, I don't get them that often, but I've never.

[Noah]

I've never done that.

[Devin]

No, don't put them in the fridge.

[Manny]

I don't know.

[Noah]

I try to keep most produce. Well, it depends on the produce. I mean, but, like, if it's not cut at all, I'm trying to keep it fresh outside especially. Yeah.

[Devin]

Peppers and stuff like that.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

Once you cut it, then I put it in.

[Noah]

Yeah, once it's cut. Yeah. Onions.

[Manny]

What about butter for you guys?

[Noah]

See, butter is interesting because I always grew up. Butter in the fridge.

[Devin]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Noah]

A couple years ago, I got one of those butterbell devices.

[Manny]

Yeah, this.

[Noah]

It's like a little.

[Manny]

It's got like a cover.

[Noah]

Yeah. It's like a little contraption. You. You put water in the bottom and then you put butter in kind of the top.

[Manny]

Oh, this is you.

[Noah]

You store it. So it keeps the butter nice and fresh and soft.

[Devin]

What does the water have to do?

[Noah]

It, like, helps seal it once it's in there.

[Devin]

Basically, like, creates a seal.

[Noah]

So if. If you're having butter like, every day and you're going to actually go through it, it's pretty good because it doesn't go bad unless it's, like, sitting for a long time.

[Manny]

Oh, yeah.

[Devin]

Maybe I should give.

[Noah]

It's good because it's nice to have really soft butter.

[Devin]

Well, I guess put. I don't have a lot of bread with butter, so I'm only using butter when I'm cooking. Like, I put it for my eggs, so it doesn't really matter.

[Manny]

But. But to circle back.

[Noah]

No, I got. I got another 15 minutes on this.

[Manny]

All three of us put our eggs in the fridge.

[Noah]

Why?

[Manny]

Why is that?

[Devin]

I don't know the specifics of it, but I know there's a difference between our eggs and UK eggs for some reason. Like, we can't have our eggs outside because it'll go bad or something, or we can get, I don't know, salmonella or something. Whereas some way that they process their eggs in the UK that it's okay to keep your eggs on a shelf. That's what I've heard. I don't know what the specifics of it are, though.

[Manny]

Well, just so happens that I do.

[Devin]

Yeah. Do you?

[Manny]

Because. Because my wife Mia is an executive editor at Business Insider, overseeing health and science.

[Devin]

Why else is she also.

[Manny]

She's British, so she also knows about this. Wow.

[Noah]

More importantly,

[Devin]

she's a British girl.

[Manny]

She's a help.

[Medical Expert]

Okay. So the question of whether or not you need to refrigerate your eggs really depends on where you are. So if you're in the U.S. then, yes, you do have to refrigerate your eggs and you don't have an option. And that's because commercially sold eggs in the US are washed and refrigerated before they're packaged, and that is to get rid of any kind of bacteria or dirt that could be dangerous, such as salmonella, which is a good thing. But the problem with that process is that it removes the protective outer layer called the cuticle. So when those eggs are shipped and once they make their way to you. You need to keep those eggs in the fridge because they no longer have the protective layer that would defend the egg from bacteria in your kitchen. Something like salmonella thrives in warmth. So if your eggs are on the kitchen counter, sal permeate the shell and get into the egg. If your egg is made in the us, it's different if you're in Europe, because in Europe, they don't wash and refrigerate the eggs in processing because their goal is to retain the protective outer layer. In Europe and in the uk, their priority is to package and ship and consume the eggs locally. So you're having them very fresh and they're retaining that protective outer layer so there isn't time or opportunity for salmonell egg. And that's why in Europe, the best buy dates are also shorter. So you usually on the package, it will say that you have less than a month to eat the egg. Whereas in the us, much bigger country, they're transporting these eggs much further. That's the benefit of refrigerating them. And that's why you usually have like six weeks, eight weeks to eat those eggs. So tldr, if you're in the us, you have no option. You need to keep them in the fridge. In Europe, it's up to you. You can keep them in the fridge to preserve freshness, but they're perfectly safe outside the fridge as well.

[Noah]

That made sense and tracks with basically what you were saying. I didn't realize exactly what it was. I didn't realize it was literally just what was on the outside of the show. I assumed it was something more like biological almost. Yeah.

[Devin]

We treat our chickens.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

Yes.

[Noah]

This is actually much more simple.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Manny]

It's funny how many times washing something is actually kind of bad in a way. Like the chicken debate that we've had that people are still mad at us about.

[Devin]

Yeah. Washing the chicken itself, the raw chicken,

[Manny]

spreads the bacteria around and with the eggs washing it and refrigerating it kind of removes like a natural layer of protection that it has.

[Noah]

And I believe that the questioner lives in London but grew up in the U.S. yes. So that's, that's why they're confused. That's why there's confusion. And they're arguing with their flatmates, as

[Devin]

they say, not roommates.

[Noah]

Because I was thinking about this because I was like, I don't know, I definitely have seen people keep their eggs like, you know, upstate or something, and they buy them from the farm next door and it's like, oh, well, they're not. Now it makes sense. It's like, yeah, they're not doing this industrialized process of washing them.

[Devin]

That's a good point.

[Noah]

Just go pick it up from the farm and you can keep it out. Because I knew are people who have chickens and that sort of thing. It's like they're not keeping them in the fridge, and they're eating them that day probably too.

[Devin]

The chickens aren't putting their stuff in the fridge.

[Noah]

Great point. You know, nobody's keeping them warm. Nobody talks about that. They're laying them.

[Devin]

Imagine a mini fridge in there.

[Manny]

We stayed upstate once, and there was, like, a chicken coop in the backyard. And like, the. The owners were like, feel free to go back there and pick up any eggs that's for cooking. So we did and that. Well, no, actually, we didn't. We were about to, and then we got an email later being like, oh, wait a second. These are the fertilized ones.

[Devin]

Oh, oh.

[Manny]

And I was like, that would have been horrible. I would have been traumatized if I

[Devin]

cracked onto the damn chicken.

[Manny]

Well, they wouldn't have been born.

[Devin]

It would have been debate.

[Noah]

Yeah, it's a debate.

[Devin]

Yeah, yeah. We'll do the personal debate.

[Manny]

It was just. It was just a clump of cells.

[Noah]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Manny]

I remember during COVID I don't know if this was, like, a national thing, but certainly in our friend group, we just started eating a ton of eggs because they're just easy to make, you know?

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

I wasn't really cooking all that much until down. So I was eating a ton of eggs. And then there was, like, a lot of discourse on Twitter at the time about how that's actually bad for you. You shouldn't be eating that much, that many eggs.

[Noah]

There's worse things. I could be shooting up heroin.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Noah]

It's like, what do you want from me? It's like, you're not too many eggs. Oh, yeah.

[Devin]

He just ate too many eggs. Yeah.

[Noah]

Shut the hell up.

[Devin]

Unless you're.

[Noah]

Look.

[Devin]

Unless you're doing.

[Noah]

It's like, don't tread on me if

[Devin]

you're eating 10 eggs a day.

[Noah]

Sure. Just like anything.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Manny]

What's next?

[Noah]

Next up, we're staying on the expiration dates.

[Manny]

Okay.

[Noah]

Theme. This is from Steph. I'm quoting now. This is in Steph's voice. Okay. So you know how you buy medicine, Tylenol, prescriptions, Nyquil, whatever. And there's a date for when it expires. Why does it expire? Like, I get that cheese goes bad. Milk spoils, vegetables rot but what is the actual reason why pills or medicine go bad?

[Manny]

That's a great question.

[Devin]

I don't know if they go bad. I think they just become less potent. Right.

[Noah]

That's my thought. And. And I always think about this when I go visit my family.

[Devin]

Oh, yeah.

[Manny]

My.

[Noah]

There's like the kids bathroom.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Noah]

And you open the closet in there, and it's like, kids. First of all, there's no children living there anymore, so it's like kids, kids Advil or kids time. Literally, it's from before I was born. It's from, like, even before my brother was born, I think. Like, literally stuff from the 80s that's incredible. And it's probably. If you open it up, it's probably just like dust.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Noah]

Like, not even. But then there have been times when I'm looking for something and it'll be more recent, but then I'll look and it's like Expired 2016. I'm like, oh, yeah, you know, it creeps up on you. Yeah.

[Devin]

I don't know.

[Manny]

I mean, I agree with Devin. It won't be that it goes bad in the sense that if you consume it, you'll get sick.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

I've definitely run into this because I'm a Gas X connoisseur of sorts.

[Noah]

Power user.

[Manny]

I love.

[Noah]

I love.

[Manny]

I love using it. I think it's probably placebo, but it makes me feel better. And they will have expiration dates and I don't know, like, I'll take. I'll have one after the expiration date and I'll be like, oh, that one didn't do as much.

[Noah]

How long do you think that's, like, typically? Is it like a year? Is it?

[Manny]

Yeah, it's really long. Because I'll be like, fall. I'll be just digging through, trying to find something.

[Noah]

Okay.

[Manny]

I think the one that I found was, like, over a year old.

[Devin]

Did you take your normal dosage of it?

[Manny]

Yeah.

[Noah]

So you didn't, like, double up one?

[Manny]

One caveat, though. Gas X. I hope they're listening to this. Why is one of the boxes called Maximum Strength and the stronger one is called Ultimate Strength? Actually, we already passed Max, so I don't know what I'm doing here.

[Noah]

Like, Don Draper cooked that up. Hold on.

[Devin]

I don't know.

[Manny]

Add another.

[Noah]

Something beyond maximum.

[Manny]

So it could be possible that I did. I took the same dosage, which is two pills, but that it was maximum and not ultimate. I don't know.

[Noah]

Anyway, yeah, I mean, what do you go for in the store? Like, if you were Going right.

[Manny]

I try to get. Now that I know ultimate is the strongest one, I go for Ultimate. Sometimes they don't have it. I don't know why. But also, it's just a matter of the dosage. Like. Yeah, I think two or like three maximums is two ultimates. Or if you do the math. So anyway,

[Noah]

we'll include newsletter.

[Manny]

All that to say, I've dealt with medicine expiration dates before and I would like to know the answer.

[Devin]

You know, this reminds me of. I recently, for the first time ever saw Wolf of Wall Street.

[Noah]

I know.

[Devin]

Crazy.

[Noah]

Oh, yeah.

[Devin]

And they have that scene where they're taking Quaaludes. Yeah.

[Noah]

They're all made in the 80s.

[Devin]

I think they stopped selling whatever one and they take a bunch of them and they're like, okay, it's not working, and take more. And then they find out that, like, actually it just has a longer release

[Manny]

time because they're older.

[Devin]

Oh, extra high. So I'm not sure if that's the same with pills. I'm not in the issue too. I have this issue with pills because I'm not a real pill popper.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

You know, if I'm getting some pills.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

I. I gotta get kind of fucked up to take, like, even like an anvil.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

You can't. You can't swallow it.

[Devin]

No, I can. I can swallow it. I don't want it.

[Manny]

Oh, you just don't want to. Okay.

[Devin]

I don't, like. I don't really get headaches, you know, so if I get a little ache and pain, I'll just sort of ride

[Noah]

taking care of you.

[Manny]

Plus, you don't get hangovers because.

[Devin]

No. Right. So it's like, I may be taking an Avil twice a year of that.

[Motivational Speaker]

Wow.

[Noah]

Wow.

[Devin]

But I buy. You know, when you buy them, you got to buy the big one because it's the best for your money.

[Manny]

Yeah, exactly.

[Devin]

So I'm getting 100. 100 pills.

[Manny]

They're like two years old now.

[Michael Easter]

Yeah.

[Devin]

I'm taking four years.

[Noah]

It's lasting as long as your ketchup.

[Devin]

So I. This is. This is a good question of, like, sort of what is happening. I guess I feel like with all things, it's like. Yeah. It just loses its potency. I don't know what would be happening, though, like, chemically.

[Manny]

Yeah. Is it the case that 20 years after it actually does literally nothing to you after you take it?

[Noah]

Well, luckily, the good people at Harvard. Oh, Harvard Medical School, to be exact.

[Manny]

Okay.

[Noah]

Those are the people you'd want to talk to.

[Manny]

There, that was a good clarification.

[Noah]

Have looked into this. So in 1985, the US Air Force conducted a study where they gathered a stockpile of medications because they, you know, countries do have those stockpiles for certain things, you know, for emergencies or obviously for military, etc. So they gathered a stockpile of medications worth more than a billion dollars that were close to or past their expiration dates. They didn't want to just throw them away, so they did studies, they tested to see if they're still safe and effective.

[Manny]

Okay.

[Noah]

This is the US Food and Drug Administration, the fda, in other words, as some call them. And the verdict, according to Harvard, retelling this, most medications were still good nearly three years past their expiration dates.

[Manny]

That's nuts.

[Noah]

But there are a few caveats to keep in mind. They say so. One, those tests that we're referring to were from the mid-80s and early 90s. So newer medications may not have been tested yet in this way.

[Devin]

Okay.

[Noah]

Only about 100 types of drugs were tested. So. And some of them were like things that people who are not in the military probably wouldn't be using so much like, you know, antidotes for chemical poisoning or antibiotics for malaria. And some drugs did fail the stability test. So liquid antibiotics. Yeah, antibiotics. Aspirin, nitroglycerin and insulin have found signs of physical decay.

[Devin]

Okay.

[Noah]

So not best to use them past expiration dates.

[Manny]

Physical decay.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

But it's like the pills cracked.

[Noah]

Yeah. And then. Yeah. EpiPens also held up poorly past the expiration dates. This doesn't seem harmful though. It's probably just like we're saying, not as effective. Yeah. So one, it kind of depends how serious the medication is or the what you're trying to fix. You know, you can probably take an allergy medication a month past its expiration date, but a heart rhythm medication is going to be riskier.

[Manny]

Yes.

[Noah]

So you want to make sure that one going to. Going to help you.

[Manny]

So pretty much like the over the counter stuff that's not going to be life or death.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

Aspirin, gas X, that kind of stuff.

[Noah]

If you're not getting a prescription for something like that.

[Manny]

You're following.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

It might not do the trick that you need it to do, but it's not going to hurt.

[Noah]

This also says that generally they keep the expiration dates on the more conservative side. Exactly. For this reason, which makes sense and I agree with as a practice. Yeah, yeah. And drug makers say that extensive testing for drug stability over prolonged periods of times would be ideal. But it's too expensive. And also in this study, the military study found that by keeping these expired medicines, it saved about $260 million from the 1 billion. So it's pretty significant.

[Manny]

Yeah, it showed that there was a lot of useful. There were a lot of medicine that was still useful.

[Noah]

So basically, expiration dates in the U.S. after a law in 1979, drug manufacturers have to stamp an expiration date on the products. So that's like where they can guarantee full potency and safety. It's not necessarily means it's going to not work after that. So which makes sense. It's just like a regulation. So it's true that effectiveness of a drug may decrease over time, but much of the original potency still remains even a decade after the expiration date. Placing a medication in a cool place, such as a refrigerator, will help the drug remain potent for many years.

[Manny]

That's a good question. The previous question, I also put my, like, Dayquil and stuff in the fridge. Do you guys.

[Noah]

No.

[Manny]

You keep it outside in the closet?

[Noah]

Yeah, I don't.

[Devin]

I'm really only getting that when I have. Once again, I don't really take that stuff. So when I.

[Noah]

You always just have it in the fridge?

[Manny]

Not for any real reason, but that's what my thing.

[Devin]

You take in decor.

[Manny]

I mean, only when I get sick, but, like, it lasts for during that period. You're keeping it in the fridge?

[Noah]

Yeah, yeah.

[Devin]

No, I don't keep it in the fridge.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

Oh, yeah.

[Devin]

Like for babies.

[Manny]

Actually, they have one for babies and it says four babies on it. And I got the liquid one for the adults.

[Noah]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Devin]

Do you not swallow pills or do you just prefer.

[Manny]

You just prefer that when I'm, like, out, like back when we used to work in an office, every day, I would bring pills with me. If I'm at home, I'm like, a little something to sip on is nice. All right, after the break, we're going to answer some questions about sneezing behaviors, the 24 hour day, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We'll be right back.

[Noah]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show. Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date? Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird. Yeah, the bird looks out of your league anyways. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty

[iHeart Advertising Voice]

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[Michael Easter]

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[Noah]

We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are

[Medical Expert]

the result of stress.

[Motivational Speaker]

Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

[Michael Easter]

It Listen to 2%. That's 2% on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Noah]

All right, next up. Hi. Have y' all ever argued about why some people sneeze loudly? Is it a learned behavior, maybe to mimic a parent or get attention or clear nasal passages more comfortably or effectively? Or is it biological, maybe based on lung size or muscular strength or age? Can allowed or soft sneezer become soft or loud respectively? Or is the dynamic range of sneezes actually small? And it's variations in hearing sensitivity that we should be arguing over. Please get to the bottom of this. My doctor has stopped answering my calls.

[Manny]

Can I just say real quick, I love our listeners because we get the funniest questions I've ever heard.

[Noah]

This is a very thorough the behavioral

[Manny]

science of sneeze loudness, so.

[Noah]

Well, first of all, what, what. How would you all describe your individual sneeze styles?

[Manny]

I'm pretty controlled, I think.

[Devin]

Yeah. I try to keep it on the covers.

[Manny]

Yeah.

[Noah]

And that same at home.

[Manny]

Yeah. But you know, I'm sure we all have, you know, or the classic the dad loudest shaking the frames on the wall kind of sneeze.

[Noah]

Oh, yeah.

[Manny]

So my dad, one of the loudest

[Noah]

sneezers I've ever had in my life around the house. Yeah.

[Devin]

My dad had really bad allergies too. And his sneeze was so like the cat would run.

[Manny]

Was there a wind up?

[Devin]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Manny]

Then you know, and then.

[Devin]

Yeah. And then there's usually a couple in a row.

[Noah]

Yeah. That's my other question.

[Devin]

And then there's some.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

Afterwards, like, are you dying?

[Noah]

What is happening? Yeah, yeah. My follow up bonus question is why do sneezes come in multiples? Because there's some people who always three and you have time.

[Manny]

A loud sneeze.

[Noah]

It'll be like always doing three or more.

[Manny]

Yeah.

[Noah]

In a string I'll have maybe one or two. I do, I do pretty loud ones. I'll say, okay, I can control it here. But if I'm home, I will say

[Devin]

when I do let a loud one off, it feels good.

[Noah]

Yeah. It's like I'm not holding back, you

[Devin]

know, Go for real. Cuz sometimes you try to do the look.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

And then you got. You're still in there.

[Manny]

It's like when it's like plug but myself up.

[Devin]

But you know, you try to keep it.

[Noah]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's not, it doesn't. It's not satisfying. It's like when you, when you try to stifle a cough. Yes. That's like the worst feeling in the world. You have to cough in the movies or something. And then you let it go, but then it's still there. Yeah. I have to go to the hospital.

[Devin]

You try to let it out.

[Noah]

Or then I'll try like. Okay, maybe I'll choose, chew some gum or something. Like get something else moving in here. Maybe I can.

[Manny]

You know, you're like waiting for the loud scene of the movie to come.

[Noah]

Literally.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Manny]

Like, okay, there's a car crash coming up.

[Noah]

Less than that.

[Manny]

But it's a great question because, you know, if it were behavioral, you would think that you would have a similar sneeze to your parents. But that's not the case for me.

[Devin]

No. Well, well, it's almost, it's almost behavioral in the opposite way that you've witnessed,

[Noah]

you know, the damage you can do to a family.

[Devin]

Yeah. You've seen the loud sneeze and now you don't want to repeat that.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

That trauma to your children.

[Manny]

The cycle ends here.

[Noah]

Yeah. Okay. But that means your kid's gonna be like. Like, I hate how my dad always.

[Devin]

Yeah,

[Noah]

this is how you sneeze. It's like a kind of an oedipal thing.

[Devin]

Yeah, It's. Our room is.

[Noah]

Yeah. Watch this. Well, luckily for us, our friends at Popular Science magazine, someone's done something. I've answered this. Oh, yeah.

[Devin]

Oh, my God.

[Noah]

They did separate articles for both of those questions. So why do people sneeze so loud? And the multiples. I was like, wow.

[Manny]

I'm really fascinated by the multiples. I know someone who always goes, two, two. And that's it for the next time. Yeah.

[Noah]

So this is from Dr. Takashima from the Department of Otolaryngology.

[Manny]

Wow.

[Noah]

Head and Neck in Surgery at Houston Methodist Academic Institute. This is a quote from Popular Science.

[Manny]

Yes. Quoting him.

[Noah]

Inside our nose is a tight mesh of epithelial cells, tiny hairs, and thick mucus. These elements. Quotes. Trap particulates so that the lungs can be protected. When those build up, they need to be flushed out. So tiny hairs. That makes sense. Tiny hairs, mucus, whatever. All this stuff. Yeah.

[Devin]

They don't want you. They don't want that stuff in the lungs.

[Noah]

Yeah. So then these be flushed out. Your body knows this.

[Manny]

So it gets triggered somehow. Like, enough piles up so that your brain's like.

[Devin]

This is like Osmosis Jones shit. Yeah.

[Noah]

It really is.

[Manny]

I do think there was a scene.

[Devin]

I think there was a scene, right? Yeah.

[Noah]

Bill Murray sneezes.

[Manny]

Yes.

[Devin]

Yes.

[Manny]

Everyone flies out.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Manny]

Hit all the pressure valve.

[Devin]

They're about to blow the scene.

[Manny]

Great movie. Yeah.

[Noah]

We should watch that. The key to sneezing volume lies in the structure of our respiratory system. The first step of the sneeze reflex involves deep inhalation. You need that air to be able to expel everything out. While air is sucked into our lungs, our vocal cords close tightly. Once enough pressure has built up in our lungs, all the air is expelled. It's that gush of air that's pushing through the vocal cords that creates the sound of the sneeze. The shape and floppiness of our vocal cords and other soft tissue at the back of the throat influence whether or not we have a quiet or booming sneeze. Lung volume also determines how much air enters and leaves our chest during a sneeze, meaning no single physical measurement will predict sneeze volume.

[Devin]

So it's a combination.

[Noah]

So vocal cords, other tissue, lung volume. Some people with big lung volumes have very petite sneezes.

[Manny]

Hmm.

[Noah]

So this article also has how to sneeze quietly. Takashima points out that in Japan, there's a heavy cultural emphasis on not inconveniencing others, and people manage to suppress their sneezes so this is what the question asker was asking too about. Is it, you know, kind of a cultural or learned behavior? Yeah.

[Devin]

Oh, for sure.

[Noah]

So the key here is to minimize the amount of resonant energy flowing through your oral cavity, closing your mouth. This will reduce the volume of your sneeze.

[Devin]

Doesn't feel as good, though.

[Noah]

No, hold on. Look at the medical literature suggests that sneeze suppression may be a surprisingly bad idea.

[Manny]

Oh, for sure.

[Devin]

You ever try to hold in a

[Noah]

sneeze like your whole body, your eyes are gonna bolt. You're gonna.

[Devin]

Yeah, now my eyes are popped out my head.

[Noah]

Yeah, they're out of my head. Do you want to be blind or do you want to sneeze?

[Devin]

I don't know that if anybody's sneezing as hard as they can into their elbow, it's going to be that loud.

[Manny]

Yeah.

[Noah]

Let me practice.

[Devin]

Yeah, like it.

[Noah]

That was. That was not bad. Yeah, it's not out loud.

[Manny]

Oh, like we can check the decibels. Oh, someone sneezed. Yeah.

[Noah]

I don't know if I've been peeking

[Devin]

on there, you know? Yeah. You know, like you're gonna.

[Manny]

I'm gonna hear.

[Devin]

If you're trying to sneeze in a way that people don't know you're sneezing, you're not gonna do that. Yeah.

[Manny]

You're not. You're not really concerned.

[Devin]

You know, the cat's not gonna be

[Noah]

wrong, but it's fine. No, exactly. Or the cat needs to tough enough up, frankly. All right, so that answers the main basis.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Noah]

But let's get the bonus about the multiples.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Noah]

Why does that. Because that's stranger.

[Manny]

That's weird. You can't get it out in one go.

[Noah]

So it has to do with the power behind your noses blows.

[Devin]

If you got a weak ass nose, you got to do more.

[Noah]

You need to work that out. It's funny, they talk to all different people for this article. Yeah.

[Manny]

This is still Popular Science.

[Noah]

Yep. So basically, the. If the air tin is still lingering after a sneeze, your nose is going to give it another go. So typically a second sneeze means that your first sneeze didn't do its job.

[Manny]

Yes.

[Noah]

As for the mega sneezer, the person who always seems to sneeze 15 times in a row, it may mean his or her sneezes just don't pack the same punch as yours. Depending on how her nerves are hardwired, it may mean her sneezes are not as forceful to expel whatever is irritating her. If that's the case, try to rub your nose or plug your nose. That way you can manually remove the allergen.

[Devin]

Okay, you do some work. Help it out.

[Noah]

Of course, a foreign irritant may not be triggering your sneeze at all. For about 18 to 20% of the population, staring at bright lights can cause uncontrollable sneezing.

[Manny]

What the hell?

[Noah]

It's a genetic condition called a photic sneeze reflex. P H O T I C. And its mechanisms aren't very well understood. Some researchers believe that rapid pupil constriction may trigger the nerves related to sneezing, but no one knows for sure.

[Devin]

Oh.

[Manny]

Because your eyes do that when you're allergic to something.

[Noah]

So if you seem to be sneezing over and over while enjoying the great outdoors, maybe avert your gaze from the sun for a little while. That's a cliffhanger to end on 18 to 20 of the. I mean, that's almost someone in this room.

[Devin]

Which one of us?

[Manny]

I stare at lights all the time. I don't. It doesn't really.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

They gotta start putting some of those warnings.

[Noah]

It's obviously in my head now, but I feel a little bit more tension in my sinuses. Yeah. I'm not gonna sneeze, but I see it.

[Devin]

I see the vision. Yeah.

[Manny]

Next time I have to sneeze, I'm gonna try to make it as loud as possible. I don't think I've ever really tried to be.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Noah]

Tried to have a loud primal scream. Yeah. It might be. It might feel good.

[Manny]

All right, what's. What's next?

[Noah]

This is a real kind of bong rip, sort of one from Blake. Why are there 24 hours in a day? That's all he said. Any ideas?

[Manny]

Well, I mean, just like, I guess the basic necessity of, like, measuring. I don't know why they landed on 24. You would think it'd be something shorter. I don't know.

[Devin]

Well, I might just say there's 12 hours, but the hours are two hours long or something.

[Manny]

Yeah, maybe. Yeah. That's where.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

I would do a longer segment.

[Noah]

You think? I don't know.

[Manny]

I'm just talking.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

Well, you know, obviously, the 24 hours.

[Noah]

We know what a day is. Yes.

[Devin]

Is a day.

[Noah]

But that's one day.

[Devin]

But why?

[Noah]

Can you explain what a day is?

[Devin]

A day is when the sun goes around, you know,

[Noah]

and we're stationary.

[Manny]

Yeah.

[Devin]

Because we. The sun revolves around us.

[Noah]

Yeah, that's true.

[Devin]

And we're flat. We're flat.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

A flat earth.

[Noah]

So as soon as the sun.

[Devin]

The sun comes. Yeah. And then for at night, it's underneath us.

[Noah]

It's under China.

[Manny]

The sun went to sleep. It's gone now.

[Devin]

It's gone.

[Noah]

It's a man. Yeah.

[Devin]

So it's one cycle now. It's one rotation.

[Noah]

Seriously? Yeah, seriously. Seriously, guys, let's not joke about this because, you know.

[Devin]

Shit into the knee.

[Noah]

Yeah, enough.

[Manny]

So one rotation of the Earth.

[Devin]

Yeah. One rotation of the Earth. The sun is not rotating. We're evolving around. That's a year. It's one revolution around the sun.

[Manny]

That's right.

[Devin]

Right. So one day is one revolution of the Earth.

[Noah]

So we all agree on that.

[Manny]

Yeah.

[Noah]

Now, how do you break that up? What's the best idea?

[Devin]

That's where we get into what? Yeah, the specifics here.

[Manny]

Yeah. I mean, that's a great question. It makes me think it's probably. It's religious.

[Devin]

Why 60 minutes, right?

[Manny]

Like the 12 hours. I don't know. It feels like.

[Noah]

Why? Does that number come from somewhere?

[Manny]

Yeah, Great question.

[Noah]

Well, luckily, our friends at ABC Science. I believe this is the Australian Broadcasting Company.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Manny]

Yeah.

[Devin]

So they're real different ABC.

[Manny]

Oh, really?

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

My guess is 24 or 24 or 12. Like, has to do with some kind of religious thing. Some ancient religious thing.

[Noah]

Let's see what ABC Science has to say. It always goes back to them.

[Manny]

What are you about to say? It's always them.

[Noah]

The is from Dr. Nick Lomb, consultant curator of astronomy from the Sydney Observatory. All right. I trust. I trust. Observatories. Our 24 hour day comes from the ancient Egyptians who divided them, who divided daytime into 10 hours. They measured with devices such as shadow clocks.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Noah]

And added the twilight hour at the beginning and another one at the end of the day time.

[Manny]

Oh. So that makes.

[Noah]

They started with 10 and then kind of added on an hour.

[Devin]

An hour.

[Noah]

So it's to fill in for kind of nighttime. Wow. And then.

[Manny]

Because 10 is a natural number.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

Yeah, I guess they all are. But it just feels like.

[Noah]

Yeah. Nighttime was divided into 12 hours based on observations of stars.

[Devin]

Okay.

[Noah]

So there's. So there we have 10 hours during the day. Yeah. Plus two more hour and a half and then 12 for night. Clear night when you're looking at the stars. Egyptians had a system of 36 star groups called decans. D, E, C, A, N, S. Maybe Dickens.

[Manny]

Deacons.

[Noah]

Deacons chosen so that on any night, one decan rose 40 minutes after the previous one. Wow.

[Manny]

These guys were nuts. Yeah.

[Noah]

Tables, I guess, didn't have anything else to do tables were produced to help people to determine. Yeah, it's like oversee some pyramids being built or figure out the time.

[Devin]

This is what I would be doing if, if China wasn't keeping me on tick tock.

[Noah]

You'd be building, you'd be coming up with whole new ways to count time. Forget the decals, it would be the dbag.

[Devin]

Yeah, there's one, the one rat. Every time this rat passes, that's about four hours.

[Noah]

I like that. Tables were produced to help people to determine time at night by observing them. Amazingly, such tables have been found inside the lids of coffins, presumably so that the dead could also tell the time.

[Manny]

Wow, that's nice.

[Noah]

All right.

[Manny]

Nice of them to put that in the coffin.

[Noah]

In the Egyptian system, the length of the daytime and nighttime hours.

[Manny]

I don't know what time it is.

[Devin]

I got plans.

[Noah]

You did. The length of the daytime and nighttime hours were unequal and varied with the seasons.

[Devin]

Oh.

[Noah]

So it kind of adjusted based on everything else.

[Michael Easter]

Of course.

[Noah]

So in summer daytime hours were longer than nighttime hours, while in the winter it was flipped. Ancient Babylonians broke everything up into 60 for hours and minutes. They just like the base number 60, it seems like so subdivision of hours and then 60 minutes per hour. So kind of, kind of then just

[Manny]

kind of calibrating to what they already

[Noah]

knew from the Egyptians those hours further basically, which is probably when it got a little bit more standardized.

[Manny]

That's now see we, we got, we have 12 hours. That's why I said 60 minutes was. Why isn't it like 100 minutes?

[Noah]

So we got 360 degrees in a circle from the Babylonians.

[Manny]

Oh wow.

[Noah]

They just liked 60. Babylonians were interested in 360 because that was their estimate for the number of days in a year.

[Manny]

Oh damn. They're pretty close.

[Devin]

They didn't have chat GPT to be

[Manny]

asking either to get it wrong.

[Noah]

I bet if you asked ChatGPT they'd be like, yeah, there's 360 days.

[Devin]

Yeah, close enough.

[Noah]

36 days.

[Manny]

That's impressive that you already knew that. But was it the case that the Egyptians kind of came up with the framework of time?

[Noah]

Yeah, it seems like.

[Manny]

So before that they were just, I mean I'm sure there were little ways to measure here and there, but they

[Devin]

were mostly just vibe day and night.

[Noah]

Yeah, I think generally it was that and then slowly kind of evolved into this where. Okay. And then I'm sure once there's a international order, there's more consensus for, you know, we have to have the same Time if you're traveling this way.

[Manny]

Yep.

[Noah]

All right. But I think that about answers it.

[Manny]

Well, it makes. It makes sense that, like, all right, you want to count the hours in a day, like, before the sun goes away.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

And back then you're like, okay, I have 10 fingers. That's how we're gonna count this.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Manny]

But then they just started amending it from there.

[Noah]

Then they're like, all right, well, we need to figure this out, because the stars are doing this. So. Yeah, we got two extra hours. So 12 and 12. All right.

[Serving Pancakes Host]

I like it.

[Manny]

Amazing stuff. But one of my favorite circumcision, too. I used to watch all of those ancient aliens shows on history or whatever, and the. The big takeaway at the end of every episode is like, how did the Egyptians know that the Earth was blue? Like, they have some of these hieroglyphs.

[Noah]

Oh. And they're, like, painted.

[Manny]

It's kind of nothing to do with time.

[Devin]

But, you know, we don't give just

[Manny]

because it's like, look, there's a big ass.

[Noah]

It's a shame. It's a shame that, you know, we don't really give them their flowers.

[Devin]

No, we don't.

[Manny]

It's all aliens.

[Devin]

Yeah. We can't. They can't possibly be smart back then. Yeah. A bunch of idiots running around. They couldn't build parents. They couldn't do anything. Have any ideas.

[Manny]

Because if they were so smart back then, it must mean that we're not that smart. And that's why we have to be like, actually, they had help.

[Noah]

And it just. It's be. It's also just like, Egypt isn't that powerful of a nation now. So I don't think there's international.

[Manny]

Yeah.

[Noah]

Push to do it. Whereas if this was, you know, if this happened in the United States, you'd never forget we made that. You.

[Devin]

Yeah, we wouldn't shut up about it.

[Noah]

You know, other. Other places too.

[Devin]

But yeah, just put some respect on

[Noah]

justice for Egypt on it.

[Manny]

Even the Mayans, they got incredible, like, astronomy innovations.

[Noah]

We just.

[Manny]

But we just can't be like, wow, they were so smart.

[Devin]

We had to say, no, that's some alien stuff.

[Manny]

Well, you know what?

[Noah]

We, who.

[Manny]

We are going to give flowers to the Egyptians for coming up with the 24 hour clock.

[Noah]

Thank you.

[Manny]

Thank you, Egyptians.

[Noah]

All right, that was good. Thank you, Egyptians. A salute to Egyptians.

[iHeart Advertising Voice]

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[Michael Easter]

That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter and On my podcast 2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers and other health and fitness experts and more to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry.

[Noah]

We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are

[Medical Expert]

the result of stress.

[Motivational Speaker]

Put yourself through some hardship and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

[Michael Easter]

Listen to 2%. That's 2% on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Serving Pancakes Host]

On the Serving Pancakes podcast, conversations about volleyball go beyond the court.

[iHeart Advertising Voice]

Today we have a little best friend compatibility test.

[Serving Pancakes Host]

Okay, how long have we been best friends for?

[Manny]

Since the day we met.

[Serving Pancakes Host]

As the League1 volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tun. We really are like yin and yang, vodka and tequila. You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind the scenes stories and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Today we have Logan Lednecki.

[Manny]

I feel like our fan base in

[Serving Pancakes Host]

general is very connected.

[Noah]

Just like a comforting feeling getting to play at home.

[Serving Pancakes Host]

Whether you're following the final push of love season or just love the game, serving Pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Jordan Thompson had that microphone out. God forbid we make mistakes or cuss

[iHeart Advertising Voice]

at our coach like one time or two times.

[Serving Pancakes Host]

Open your free iHeartradio app. Search serving Pancakes and listen. Now. This has been Serving Pancakes and we'll catch you on the flip side.

[Manny]

Okay?

[Noah]

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Manny]

All right, our final question comes from Kaylee.

[Kaylee]

Hi, Manny, Noah, Devin and the no Such Thing Team. My name is Kayleigh. My boyfriend was at a bar and the bartender suggested that he do a peanut butter tequila shot. And the suggested chaser was some sort of like fruity seltzer thing. He doesn't remember the exact flavor, but he then begins to complain to some friends that the chaser was not grape flavored because then it would have been like a peanut butter and jelly shot and chaser. He then proceeds to get in an argument with, with a stranger, with a woman about what is the proper flavor of jelly to use in a peanut butter and jelly. She believed it was strawberry and he believes it's grape. So we want to know your opinion. What is the default jelly to put on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Is it grape, is it strawberry, or is it like a third flavor? Thank you so much for answering my question. Big fan of the show. Have a good one.

[Noah]

Thanks, Kaylee.

[Devin]

This is it, really.

[Noah]

So a few things going on here.

[Manny]

Yeah, I guess.

[Noah]

First, let's answer it.

[Manny]

Yeah, let's go around. Take would be that I prefer the jelly to be strawberry, but I also acknowledge that grape is the traditional peanut butter and jelly.

[Noah]

That's how I mean, I probably prefer grape still most cases. But yeah, I think you can have your own preference for what jelly you want. But the default is great.

[Manny]

It's grape.

[Noah]

It's Devin.

[Devin]

See, this is tough for me because I'm not a peanut butter and jelly guy. I'm just a peanut butter guy.

[Noah]

Yeah.

[Devin]

So I didn't really have peanut butter and jelly.

[Noah]

You know, almost ever preconception of this.

[Manny]

So you're a good person.

[Noah]

Think back, picture a cartoon. That's my default.

[Devin]

Let me say this. Peanut butter and jelly was consumed in my home. All right, so there was been around it. Yeah, yeah. I've been, I'm trying to picture. I'm, I'm now trying to transport myself.

[Noah]

Take yourself back.

[Devin]

Back to my child. I'm opening the fridge.

[Noah]

The inner child.

[Devin]

I'm looking at the side.

[Noah]

This is what therapies look. Yeah.

[Devin]

This is what you do. They tell you close your eyes, make a sandwich. And I'm seeing my mom make a peanut butter and you have no idea. I said, don't put jelly on mine. No jelly.

[Noah]

Would you just have peanut butter?

[Devin]

Just peanut butter on bread. Yeah.

[Manny]

Isn't that hard to eat?

[Noah]

It's just so dry.

[Manny]

I guess if your peanut butter is more organic, it's a little, it was

[Devin]

back in the day. It's the most processed. You get probably no peanuts in that peanut butter.

[Noah]

I can't even open your mouth. Yeah.

[Devin]

So I'm, I, I, in my mind it was a, a grape jelly.

[Manny]

Okay.

[Devin]

It was a more purple.

[Noah]

Yeah. Welch's.

[Devin]

Yes. Yeah, exactly.

[Manny]

I guess I just Imagine like you were saying Noah in a cartoon, the grape color.

[Noah]

Remember the thing with the otters?

[Manny]

Yeah, yeah. Their names were.

[Noah]

Yeah, yeah, there we go. There isn't one of them purple or something?

[Manny]

I actually don't know.

[Devin]

I don't remember what color. I don't see color. So I don't know what color they were.

[Noah]

Oh, yeah,

[Devin]

I remember that show. That was a good show.

[Manny]

Was that their name?

[Noah]

It's on Disney.

[Devin]

And what was J? Right.

[Manny]

I guess I'm curious because it seemed to be such a debate at that bar from the questioner, at least that like, where does the. This idea that strawberry is the default. I have.

[Noah]

My guess is they grew up and that was just what their parents made for them.

[Manny]

Had to be.

[Noah]

But were these people living in. Under a rock? I mean.

[Manny]

Well, do this.

[Noah]

Turn on the TV.

[Manny]

Look up who invented the PB&J here.

[Noah]

National Peanut Board has a article about who invented the PB and J.

[Manny]

Okay.

[Noah]

Sandwich. In the case of the quintessential American PB&J sandwich, the most important person in this part of the story is a man named Paul Welch.

[Manny]

Welch.

[Noah]

We know his work. Listen to this. In 1917, Welch secured a patent for pureeing grapes and turning them into jelly. He developed an advertised grape. A lade. Rhymes with marmalade. Marmalade.

[Manny]

Marmalade, yeah.

[Noah]

From Concord grapes. It was popular with the troops in World War I. So it was popular to spread grape A laid on bread when the soldiers came home after the war.

[Manny]

Wow.

[Noah]

Finally there's peanut butter. We know Dr. George Washington Carver invented that.

[Manny]

That's right.

[Devin]

A black man.

[Noah]

Yeah, that's right. As grape and pre sliced bread became popular, another breakthrough happened with peanut butter. Commercial brands found a way to create creamier peanut butter that didn't stick to the roof of the mouth so easily. During the Great depression of the 1930s, families discovered peanut butter provided a satisfying, high protein, less expensive meal. Okay. World War II is the major event that took peanut butter and jelly sandwiches over the top.

[Manny]

Okay.

[Noah]

They were on the US military ration menus in World War II. Peanut butter was a high protein, shelf, stable ingredient and easily portable on long marches. Grape A laid had already accompanied soldiers in the first World War and added the sweetness to the sandwich. Pre sliced bread was so easy to use, so the natural inclination was to combine these three things. And PB and J was part of the American soldier's life.

[Manny]

Wow.

[Noah]

And then those guys came home from the war. Kids loved it, parents loved it, and the rest is history. So, yeah, I mean I'd have to say the default then is the grapevillade or grape jelly.

[Devin]

Yeah.

[Noah]

Variants.

[Manny]

Yeah. And I think listen or dear listener, if you ever hear someone saying strawberry is the default salt, you have to tell them that there's absolutely zero evidence to back that up.

[Noah]

They're lying.

[Manny]

Now, I like it more than grape for my PB and Js, or if I'm just having like a piece of toast, but I would never say that that was the traditional original recipe.

[Noah]

I like, like raspberry preserves.

[Manny]

Oh, you like preserves?

[Noah]

I guess. I don't know. I don't get in the eat the in the weeds like that, but I like that little bone mama.

[Devin]

As a sort of final word on this, I just opened up wikipedia. I command aft Strawberry 0J0.

[Noah]

I bet if you search great, you get a few hits there.

[Devin]

There are.

[Manny]

Consider this one not even mentioned once on the pd.

[Noah]

It doesn't even have a line like some people like this.

[Devin]

Not even. Not even a hint of wow. There's another option here.

[Noah]

Kind of scary.

[Manny]

Nothing in the pop culture references section of Strawberry.

[Noah]

Damn, it's like it doesn't even exist. All right, well, that, that really.

[Devin]

That settles it.

[Noah]

Final word.

[Manny]

Thanks for listening to no Such Thing, which is a production of Kaleidoscope Content. Our executive producers are Kate Osborne and Mangesh Hatikadur. The show was created by Manny Fadal, Noah Friedman and Devin Joseph. The theme and credit songs are by me, Manny. This episode was mixed by Pranbandy. Thank you to everyone who sent their mailbag questions in. We didn't get to all of them, but we hope to get to more of them in a future mailbag. And please keep sending these questions in by either emailing [e-mail] or by calling the number in the show notes and leaving a voicemail. That only works if you're in the US and if you like what you hear, please leave us a five star review wherever you're listening to this. See you next week.

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time, and one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete, my identity is something I am proud of. But I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the big Game really hit home. It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough, and you can show support by sharing the blue square.

[Michael Easter]

2% that's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter, and On my podcast 2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.

[Motivational Speaker]

Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

[Michael Easter]

Listen to 2%. That's 2% on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast asked.

[Serving Pancakes Host]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.